Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Raheel Sharif Wednesday (today) visit Khaipur Tamiwali near the border with India to witness to witness the military exercises ‘Raad ul Barq’ – The Thunder of Lightning .
The exercise is aimed at reviewing the readiness of the army and the air force to deal with any situation amid growing tension with India.
Tanks, planes, artillery and other heavy weapons will be on display during exercise.
The COAS briefed the gathering about the exercises before the event began.
Moreover, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif warned that any efforts to harm Pakistan’s national security will be met with a ‘befitting response’.
“There is no doubt that the, country’s armed forces are battle-hardened
and ready to confront any external and internal security challenges,” the prime minister said.
Nawaz Sharif said the enemies of Pakistan had made their intentions well-known against its national integrity and economic prosperity, however, said: “determination and resilience of our armed forces is a shield that counters any nefarious designs by our adversaries.”
He said exercise Raad ul Barq denoted the commitment of the country’s armed forces for the cause of national defence and expressed satisfaction that their enhanced capabilities made them “one of the finest fighting forces of the world”.
He expressed gratitude to the servicemen who were “all-time vigilant and ready to make supreme sacrifices for the sake of country”.
“The strength of our national defence emanates from the integration of all components of our defence structure that act as one body and an impregnable bulwark against the enemy,” he said.
The Prime Minister said no country could remain oblivious of its national security and added that “Our strategic vision gives utmost priority to the defence of our motherland.”
He said the government was following the policy of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and expected the same to enable lasting peace in the region.
He mentioned that Pakistan had been a major target of terrorism being supported and financed mainly by external actors.
“No country can tolerate such attacks on its sovereignty. Our nation and armed forces are successfully countering the malicious designs of our foes,” he said.
He said, “We will not be deterred by the perpetrators of terrorism who will find us even more determined to eradicate this evil, and we are steadfast against all anti-state activities.”
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar also accompanied the premier on the occasion.
Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmoud, the three services chiefs, Air Marshal Sohail Aman, Naval chief Admiral Zakaullah, National Security Adviser Lt.Gen. Nasser Janjua and ambassadors are also present on the occasion.
Deputy chief of the army staff of Saudi Arabia specially arrived in on behalf of the Saudi Crown Prince to witness the military exercise, taking place some 70 kilometres from Bahawalpur
Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Asim Bajwa said in a tweet that Exercise Raad-ul-Barq is a comprehensive, integrated exercise that encompasses all weapons and calibres and showcases the combat-readiness of the armed forces “against our enemy”.
Ex Raad Ul Barq:Comprehensive,integ Exercise encompassing all weapons,calibers,at our best combat readiness against our enemy-live on TV now
— Gen Asim Bajwa (@AsimBajwaISPR) November 16, 2016
Last month, Pakistan Army secured a gold medal at an annual international military patrolling exercise, ‘Exercise Cambrian Patrol’ held in Wales, United Kingdom.
Cambrian Patrol is considered to be one of the toughest exercises in the world where soldiers are pushed to their limits under extremely challenging conditions.
“And top marks again for Pakistan. Year after year they deliver a polished performance. Another hard-earned gold medal,” Army Wales posted on Twitter.